I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to everyone - I put investing on a back burner this past year but am picking it back up again!  

Goals:I want to own a fat portfolio of income properties in my life. 

You just answered some back burner questions I had on my personal residence.

HELOC funds can make it a cash purchase, or those HELOC funds can be a big fat 25% down payment paired with a traditional mortgage for 75%.

so correction/stablization good thing.. big ole fat crash I dont see it. and if prices start to drop investors will stop the loss much quicker than what happened in 08 to 2011 is my thought ???

Times will be tough, time to trim the fat.

Once I hit my target rental number, I'll pay off all the mortgages and get fat.  

As you gain experience the uncertainty and fear will move to the back burner.

I constantly crunch the numbers almost monthly to see how much money I am making when including the amazing increase in the property's value each time I raise the rent and I do my math over and over so that I am excited and I can do the math in my head.So, when the tenant spit in my face my mathematical mind went into overdrive and this irate tenants idiotic move that resulted in an eviction just earned me a big fat paycheck.

Im keeping that on the back burner just in case.